Outlook brightens for Smith

By Nicholas Spencer

5:18PM BST 19 Aug 2001

WALTER SMITH wears the cares of managing Everton for the past three years as lightly as possible given that he has had to sell his two chief assets during a difficult summer, and he, for one, will not easily be seduced by this flying start.

Yet with Tottenham due to visit Goodison Park tonight and Middlesbrough to follow on Saturday, there is an enticing opportunity to build on a deserved victory over Charlton. The Londoners were unable to cope with a plethora of injuries which robbed them of the cohesion that helped them to such unexpected heights last season.

The departures of Michael Ball and Francis Jeffers have deprived supporters of two local heroes and left Smith with the smallest squad in the division - they have just 23 listed players, and one of those is Ball!

However, Smith takes some comfort from a summer of relatively little turnover and the arrival of Alan Stubbs has added a touch of real quality to the defence.

"It has been a difficult three years and hard to take at times but I am pleased to be working with the present group," Smith said. "There are faults within it but they are a good group of lads and we can build on their togetherness."

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In a match lacking in width, Everton were always more productive than Charlton, with their ever-changing formation. Gavin Peacock, brought in from QPR on loan, tried in vain to inject the verve usually supplied by the absent Claus Jensen and Mark Kinsella, as a second-half substitute.

Jason Euell, the club's record signing at £4.75 million who was bought ostensibly as a striker, also occupied a position in central midfield but he never played quite as deep when asked to fill a similar role for Wimbledon.

Alan Curbishley shuffled his depleted pack to negate the threat of Duncan Ferguson and the home side's goalkeeper, Dean Kiely, repelled efforts from Niclas Alexandersson, Ferguson and Mark Pembridge, so it appeared the plan had worked when Everton's defence imploded in the 58th minute. David Weir lost his bearings and his lacklustre defensive header allowed Jonatan Johansson to leap forward and head home off the crossbar.

Undeterred, Everton regrouped and gained parity when Ferguson sent Kiely the wrong way with a penalty awarded for Steve Brown's clumsy brush with Kevin Campbell.

In Curbishley's eyes, Everton merely moved the ball forward more quickly and more aggressively. "There was nothing scientific about the way they played. They were playing to their strengths," he said, but even he would have to concede that Stubbs played the pass of the match, a 50-yard grass-cutter to Mark Pembridge, in the build-up to Everton's winner.

Eventually, Weir found himself on the end of Thomas Gravesen's corner and scored with a thumping finish indicative of Everton's rising confidence.